John Fell OUP Research Fund

About the John Fell OUP Research Fund

The John Fell OUP Research Fund is an internal University of Oxford fund that is open to academics and researchers at the collegiate university. It is funded through a yearly allocation from Oxford University Press. Its purpose is to complement external research funding, for example by funding early-stage (or ‘pilot’) research that is not sufficiently developed to be submitted to an external funder. It is intended to foster a proactive approach to research opportunities in all subject areas and particularly interdisciplinary fields.

The Fund is managed by a team based in Research Services, and by teams based in each academic division. The information provided below applies for the Fell Fund in general but some aspects of it are only relevant for applicants based in the Social Sciences Division. For more information about the Fund, please see the University’s Fell Fund webpages.
 

Online Application Form

How to apply

The Fell Fund has three open termly rounds of Main and Small Award applications. The deadline is 12 noon on Wednesday of Week 2 every term. All applications should be submitted through IRAMS.

Guidance on eligibility of applicants, types of awards, scope of funding and eligible costs is available on the University Fell Fund webpages.
 

All applications must be made via the online application system IRAMS, and must receive departmental approval before the application deadline. Applications are then reviewed by a divisional panel before they are forwarded to the John Fell OUP Research Fund Committee (‘the Fell Committee’) which makes all funding decisions. Please check internal deadlines with your departmental research facilitators, and make sure you allow enough time for any departmental approval processes.

Contact

If you cannot find the information you require on the Fell Fund webpages or in the Divisional advice, or have further queries, please contact the SSD Fell Fund Inbox. 

fell fund logo

Guidance documentation

Please use the Scheme Guidance Notes and Checklist to help you complete your application.

Download Scheme Guidance Notes

Download Scheme Checklist

Further information

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All subject areas are encouraged to apply, and interdisciplinary and/or cross-divisional projects are especially welcome.

Whilst the eligibility criteria for main award applications and small award applications are not exactly the same (please see below), overall the PI should be a current salaried employee of the collegiate university holding an academic post, or a research Fellowship awarded competitively (e.g. Royal Society, University Research Fellow, Junior Research Fellow, British Academy Fellowship, Leverhulme Trust Fellowship). If you are a college-only employee, you can still apply as PI but you need a department to host your application and, if successful, administer your award.

The same eligibility rules apply to both the principal applicant and any co-applicants.

Retired and emeritus Fellows, and DPhil and other students, are not eligible to apply to the John Fell Fund (including as co-applicants).

Cross-Divisional applications

The John Fell Fund Committee aims to strengthen support for major interdisciplinary research initiatives at the University by prioritising projects that build strategic collaborations between academic divisions.

A cross-divisional project must meet two criteria: academics from more than one division are involved and all the divisions involved must consider it a strategic priority for their division.

Please get in touch with the John Fell Fund officers at all Divisions involved at least 4 weeks prior to the deadline in order to discuss the project’s strategic importance. Divisional John Fell Fund contacts can be found here: https://researchsupport.admin.ox.ac.uk/funding/internal/jff

Main awards

For main award applications (more than £10,000), you must hold a post that includes responsibility for developing your own research agenda (for example, Associate Professor, Professor, Senior Research Fellow, Fellowship awarded competitively). If you do not hold such a post but your department would support you to apply for external funding as PI or co-I, then you can apply for a John Fell Fund main award. However, a letter from your Head of Department must be attached to your application explaining why holding the award is consistent with your work/duties, and confirming it is not in conflict with any requirements from external funders that may be paying for your salary/part of your salary.

Small awards

For small award applications (up to £10,000), the committee will also consider applications from early career researchers employed by the collegiate University provided that the applicant has the support of their line manager. The line manager should supply a statement of support including confirmation that holding the John Fell Fund award would be consistent with the applicant’s work and duties, as well as with any commitments with external funders that may be paying for the applicant’s salary/part of their salary.

Assessment Criteria

The John Fell Fund seeks to fund proposal that clearly demonstrate:

  • Excellence and intrinsic merit of research.
  • Potential for long term sustainability and academic impact of the project.
  • Relevance to department and divisional research strategy.
  • Necessity for John Fell Fund versus other sources of funding.
  • Value for money, noting in particular the potential for shared use of equipment and other facilities.

Both the Small Awards and Main Awards panel will consider whether the proposal:

Meets the John Fell Fund criteria outlined above.

  • Is feasible.
  • Is written in a clear and concise manner (i.e. needs to be understood by a non-specialist panel).
  • Is within the page limit (2 pages for Small Awards, 4 pages for Main Awards. The template must not be amended). Applications beyond the page limit and/or for which the template has been amended may be declined.
  • Be appropriately costed in detail (see the University’s Fell Fund website for guidance on eligible costs).
  • Include a realistic plan for outputs.
  • Demonstrate a clear plan for the sustainability of the project beyond the duration of the John Fell Fund award and how external funding will be sought.

Decision-making process for Fell Fund applications

John Fell Fund OUP Research Fund Committee

The John Fell Fund Committee is a sub-group of the University’s Planning and Resource Allocation Committee (PRAC) and the Research and Innovation Committee (RIC). It is Chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and has representatives from all academic divisions (MPLS, SSD, MSD, and Humanities). The John Fell Fund Committee membership can be found at: https://researchsupport.admin.ox.ac.uk/jfc. The Committee meets in Week 10 every term.

Social Sciences Division Fell Fund Panel

The SSD John Fell Fund Panel consists of the Head of Division and the Associate Head of Division (Research). This panel makes the decisions regarding which applications from SSD should be recommended for funding to the John Fell Fund Committee. The panel makes these decisions based on the assessments produced by the Divisional Small Awards Assessment Panel and the Divisional Main Awards Assessment Panel (for more details, see Guidance document).

The status of Researcher Co-Investigator (RCo-I) allows for named researchers working on JFF projects who are providing significant intellectual input to the development of the research proposal and management of the project to have their contribution recognised. Researcher Co-Investigators are typically early-career research staff at the University who might not be eligible to apply to JFF in their own right.

For more information on RCo-Is, please see the guidance document and checklist.